Intel revamps boxed chip roadmaps

Pentium 4s for dealers later this year

Common Topics

Intel has, at last, promised succour to its channel partners, many of which took the brunt of processor shortages this year in favour of large PC vendors.

The firm has told its distributors and dealers of its plans for the boxed desktop, server and workstation market, according to channel confidential documents seen by The Register. Earlier this year, Intel had warned system integrators of serious delays in supplying boxed processors, leading some to switch to rival Advanced Micro Devices.

The roadmaps show that boxed 933MHz and 1GHz Coppermine chips will be available during this quarter in the "performance" (>$2000) sector of the market. In Q4, Intel will continue to position the 1GHz CuMine part as the performance chip, but towards the end of this year, will introduce its 'Willamette' Pentium 4 1.4GHz and 1.3GHz processors as boxed items.

In Q1 of next year, the Pentium 4 will be provided at speeds of 1.4GHz and greater than 1.5GHz in the performance sector, with the 1GHz CuMine starting to fade out of the picture. This suggests that while Intel is currently engaged in a big push to sell the 1GHz CuMine as quantities ramp, it does not wish this item to compete with the Pentium 4.

Mainstream parts ($1500-2000 systems without monitors) will be the 1.13GHz and 1GHz processors, and, towards the end of Q1 next year, the 1.3GHz Pentium 4. The roadmaps we saw show that the 850 chipset will start to appear in the middle of Q4 this year.

On the Celeron desktop front, Intel is positioning the 700MHz part as the top end "Value" processor (systems without monitors costing between $850 and $999). In Q4, that slot will be occupied by the 766MHz and 733MHz Celerons, while in Q1 next year, the 800MHz and 766MHz will be the top Celeron dogs.

The Timna processor and the Cu128K Celeron will occupy the so-called "Value 2" ($700-850), slot in Q1 next year, while these channel roadmaps for boxed parts still indicate that the "Value 1" position will be held by 666MHz Timna and the 700MHz Timna.